BEACON HILL BEAT
OCTOBER 2005
DEP RULES IN FAVOR OF BLUE HILLS COVERED STORAGE PROJECT
On September 20th, DEP Commissioner Bob Golledge ruled in
favor of the MWRA to proceed with the construction of the
Blue Hills Reservoir Covered Storage Project. In his final
decision, Commissioner Golledge wrote, "I sustain the
directed decision granted to the MWRA finding that the variance
is necessary to accommodate an overriding public interest."
Citing new legal requirements for the protection of public
water supplies and the uniqueness of the project, the Commissioner
freed the MWRA of any future requirements for wetland replication.
The Blue Hills Covered Storage Project is an important part
of MWRA’s Integrated Water Supply Improvement Program.
The project will ensure compliance with state and federal
drinking water regulations. The reservoir is an existing open
distribution storage reservoir located in the Metropolitan
District Commission’s Blue Hills Reservation in Quincy,
MA. It was constructed in the early 1950s and provided distribution
storage for the MWRA water system until 1981, when it was
removed from service due to water quality issues.
Based on a comprehensive study of the storage needs of the
regional water system, the MWRA has determined that the portion
of the water system that serves Quincy, and portions of Milton
and Boston, needs distribution storage. The 20 million gallons
of storage capacity at Blue Hills will be designed to accomplish
the following: improve water pressure during periods of peak
demand; improve system operations; provide adequate water
storage for emergency situations; maintain adequate disinfectant
residuals; and will provide storage and system redundancy
while MWRA rehabilitates several old distribution mains that
serve the Quincy and Milton area.
A local group, "The Friends of the Blue Hills"
has filed a motion requesting the Commissioner to reevaluate
his ruling.
A detailed picture of the Blue Hills Reservoir Covered Project
can be found on the Internet at:
http://www.mwra.com/04water/html/bluehillsplan781.jpg
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CAPE COD WASTEWATER EDUCATION PROGRAM LAUNCHED
On October 11th, Cape Cod business, community, education,
and environmental leaders launched a grassroots education
campaign focusing on wastewater issues facing the 15 communities
on the Cape. The Cape Keepers Campaign focuses on educating
people on the impact of septic systems and the effects they
have on ponds, bays, and estuaries. Over 85% of Cape Cod homeowners
have septic systems, and those systems contribute 70% of the
nitrogen that damages the Cape’s bays and estuaries.
Excess nitrogen causes algae blooms, which remove oxygen from
the water, and affects water quality. Poor water quality can
result in beach closings, shellfish bed closures, and other
long-term impacts.
An extensive phone survey in July 2005 conducted by the UMass
Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis was done to gauge Cape
residents’ knowledge and interest in wastewater issues
in the area. Wendy Northcross, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber
of Commerce and Co-Chair of the Barnstable County’s
Wastewater Education Subcommittee stated, "Cape Cod towns
are making great progress in wastewater planning, but our
recent telephone survey showed that Cape residents don’t
have enough information about the link between nitrogen discharged
by their own septic systems and declining water quality."
George Allaire, the Director of Public Works for the Town
of Yarmouth and Co-Chair of the Subcommittee added, "Wastewater
planning is essential to protecting the quality of life that
makes Cape Cod attractive to visitors, business owners and
residents. The tag line of our campaign underlines the reality:
if you’ve got a septic system, you are part of a long-term
solution. We are all responsible for solving this problem."
Further information on the Cape Keepers Campaign and the
effects of nitrogen on water bodies can be found on the internet
at www.capekeepers.com.
Copies of the UMass Dartmouth Cape Cod public opinion survey
on wastewater can be found at www.umassd.edu/cfpa/.
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